1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a media dispenser, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for separating out media one by one from a media box in which the media are stored.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A term of “media” used herein refers to sheets, for example, bills, checks, tickets, certificates and the like which have a thickness remarkably smaller than a width or length.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a media separating apparatus for separating out media one by one from a media box in a related art media dispenser. Referring to this figure, the media box 1 is installed within the automatic media dispenser. The media box 1 may be integrally formed or detachably installed in the automatic media dispenser.
Media m are orderly arranged and received in the media box 1. In the media box 1, the media m are brought into close contact with one another in one direction by means of a push plate 3. To this end, the push plate 3 is supported by a spring (not shown). The media m are pushed by a pickup roller 5 in the media box 1 such that the media can be brought into close contact with one another.
The pickup roller 5, which is positioned at one end of the media box brings the media m stored in the media box 1 into close contact with one another and conveys the medium m to the outside of the media box 1. This pickup roller 5 is mounted to a pickup roller shaft 6 driven by a driving source and forwards the medium m, which are brought into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the pickup roller, between a feed roller 7 and a separating roller 9 which will be described below.
Furthermore, the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9 are provided in pair at a position adjacent to the pickup roller 5 such that the media m are separated out and conveyed one by one by the pickup roller 5 as described above. At this time, the feed roller 7 is rotated in a direction in which the media m are conveyed, while the separating roller 9 is in a stationary state or rotated in a direction opposite to the direction in which the media m are conveyed. Therefore, a difference in conveying force needed to convey the media m is generated between the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9, and thus, the media m are conveyed one by one.
Idle rollers 11 for guiding the media m, which have passed through the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9, are provided at one side of an outer circumference of the feed roller 7. The idle rollers 11 are brought into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the feed roller 7 by springs 11a, respectively. These idle rollers 11 serve to guide the medium m, which have been separated out from the feed rolled 7 and the separating roller 9 toward the other module such as a media discharging module and the like.
However, the related art apparatus has the following problems.
In other words, since the pickup roller 5 is rotated until the medium m which has been picked up by and conveyed to the pickup roller has completely passed through the feed roller 7, the pickup roller 5 applies the force for introducing the next medium m between the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9. Therefore, there is a problem in that the media m are overlapped with one another and then conveyed by the rotation of the pickup roller 5 or the media m are separated out at smaller intervals.
Further, the feed roller 7 always applies a constant conveying force to the medium m. However, the conveying forces needed to convey the medium m are different from each other before and after the medium is introduced between the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9. That is, the conveying force needed before the medium is introduced between the feed roller and the separating roller is larger than the conveying force needed after the medium has been introduced between the feed roller and the separating roller. Thus, since the feed roller 7 is designed to exhibit the conveying force enough to introduce the medium m between the feed roller 7 and the separating roller 9, the feed roller 7 applies an unnecessarily large conveying force to the medium m even at a region where a small conveying force is required. Consequently, there is a problem in that a surface of the medium m is damaged.